FRIGHT-RAGS : HORROR SHIRTS

Since taking down our vintage shirts in late August, we’ve been getting a lot of questions via email Facebook, Twitter, etc. And while I remained hopeful that they would be up sooner than later, I put up a rather brief note on the website letting our customers know that they are currently unavailable. However, I felt it was time to let you know what is going on, and our plans to re-launch the vintage shirt line.

HOW DOES IT ALL WORK, ANYWAY?
I’d like to start by explaining how we print and ship our vintage shirts, and how they are different from the other shirts on our site. Our main shirts are professionally screenprinted, and are all stocked on our shelves, ready to be shipped (with the obvious exception of our limited edition pre-orders). So when we have a new design, we order a quantity of them from our printer, and when we receive them we make them available for you to purchase.

Our vintage shirts, on the other hand, are custom made to order. That means we do not stock them and have to print each t-shirt when we receive the order. The main advantage to this is the customer’s ability to choose his/her size, style (regular shirt, long sleeve, girl shirt), and even color of the t-shirt. There is a wider variety because we print them one at a time.

The process we use to print these t-shirts is called direct-to-garment, and is essentially like a large inkjet printer for t-shirts. (You can see it in action by clicking here) While they cost more to print, they are able to do full color artwork without any set up time or cost. In fact, this method is best when reproducing a photographic image as it plays to the technology’s strengths. And while it will never replace screenprinting, it is a worthwhile process to use when offering custom shirts.

THE LONG AGONIZING WAIT FOR A T-SHIRT
Up until now, each vintage shirt ordered on our website would take approximately 4 weeks to ship. The reason for the wait is because we have to send the orders to our supplier (who is out of state), wait for the shirts to be printed and shipped back to us, then we ship them to you. Lately, however, there have been delays out of our control as our supplier has been increasingly busy with other work, which has pushed back our orders. Given that we have to then receive the shirts, then ship them out to customers, people were starting to wait 4, 5, sometimes 6 weeks or more to get their order. And that is not acceptable.

Over the past year, I’ve been discussing ways to change our business to help create more of a separation between our vintage shirts and our core line of screenprinted shirts. After all, they are two different beasts, and I feel they should each have their own space. These recent delays have only expedited those plans, and I am happy to report that we are moving swiftly in that direction.

A COMPLETELY NEW BUSINESS
Over the next few months, we will be moving our vintage line to a completely different website. This new website will still be run by Fright-Rags, but it will have a completely different name, and will only be for our vintage shirts. Our Fright-Rags website will remain the same and we will continue to focus on creating kick-ass horror shirts there.

We are working with a new supplier that will take over the printing and fulfillment of the vintage t-shirt orders. This means orders will ship in a few days, rather than several weeks. Another benefit to working with this new supplier is the ability for us to put out new designs more often, as well as new products like customized calendars, laptop skins, and even prints. We’ve also even been working on ideas to integrate many of our licenses into working with us not only on Fright-Rags shirts, but also on this new site as well, which will offer an even wider variety of designs for you to choose from.

We’re still a few months off from getting this new site up and running. But rest assured we are working hard on getting it off the ground and will release more details as we get closer. I just wanted to let you know what was going on.

Thanks again for your support and stay tuned… And as always, please feel free to share your thoughts below!

After my post last week about the possibility of bringing back the We Belong Alive shirt, I was met with a wave of feedback…all of which I read and took into consideration. Since then I’ve spent alot of time going over the various options in an effort to come up with a decision that felt right. I even spoke to Leisha about the potential re-release and asked for her opinion. She was very open with me and extremely supportive of any decision we made, which was a very important part for me in choosing which path to take. So, the verdict is…

We have decided to re-release the We Belong Alive shirt this October. However, in an effort to differentiate this design from the original one last year, we are going to change the color of it, and also print it on a different colored shirt. I echo the sentiments in some of the comments that limited should be just that, limited. And while I do feel the cause is worthy of bringing the design back, it should be changed in some way so as not to detract from the very reason for its existence, which was for Leisha. Also, this will be the last time we plan on bringing this design back – in any form or modification – for reasons I will later in this post, so please keep reading.

WHEN WILL IT BE AVAILABLE?
The shirt will be revealed and available for pre-order from October 11 – 23. We will then print what is ordered and ship them in late November. If there are any shirts left over when orders are filled, they will go back on the site and we will leave them up until they are sold out.

WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING?
We will be donating 60% of the proceeds to help support breast cancer research and treatment. At this time we have not decided on which charity will be receiving the funds, as we want to make sure the one we choose will be using the money appropriately. It’s something we’re researching now, and I am open to suggestions so please post below if there is a fund that you might want to recommend. Once we decide, I will make sure to post it here and on the product page so you know how your contribution is helping this cause.

MOVING FORWARD
The main reason for even bringing up the re-release of this design was to help others, plain and simple. What happened last year was so special, and it opened my eyes to the possibilities of doing this more often. After all, we could help many others out there, and you get a kick as limited edition shirt each time we do this….all the while raising awareness and expressing our common love of horror. How cool is that? So I am going to explore our options at making this a yearly tradition and create a new design each year without reprinting the older designs. And if it all goes well, I’d love to do this for other causes/charities in the future.

Thank you again for all of your comments, emails, and support. And as always, I welcome them, so feel free to post below.

Last October, we released this very special t-shirt (left) to help one of my friends as she battled an aggressive breast cancer. The decision to do this came after I heard about her illness and spent the day thinking of way I could use Fright-Rags as a vehicle to help in her time of need. I decided that we would create a t-shirt to sell and donate 100% of the proceeds to her. So I came up with a concept , and enlisted talented artist Jared Moraitis to help bring it to life. After it’s initial release sold out in just hours, we allowed customers to pre-order it for a second print run. It sold so well, that we were able to donate over $7,000 to her to help pay her bills during her treatment.

Not only was I overwhelmed at the out-pouring of support, but I was astonished by how much this disease had touched so many of our customers. Emails poured in from people talking about how their mother or sister fought it, or even their wife or girlfriend battled the disease. Some bought the shirt to honor a loved one who passed, others bought it as a memento to celebrate their survival. It was nothing short of amazing to see how this one t-shirt could rally so many people in our horror community.

I am honored to have been a part of this, and it remains a highlight of this company’s history.

In the months since its release, the one question I receive most is, “Are you going to bring the shirt back?” I get emails like that not just from people who missed out, but from those who purchased it the first time, and would like the option to buy another one. It’s something we have talked about in our meetings for awhile now, and I’ll be honest, we haven’t come up with a definitive answer.

On one hand, this shirt was designed for one purpose — to help Leisha and her family. The only reason it was even conceived was for that one cause. I am very conscious of that fact, and would never want to tarnish the original intent in any way.

However, I also think about how this shirt could help others if we do decide to re-release it. So I’ve been thinking about the possibility of doing another run of them in October, and donating the majority of the proceeds to a charity such as The Breast Cancer Fund or  Susan G. Komen for the Cure as a way to further raise both money and awareness for this deadly disease.

But I would like to get your thoughts/opinions on this before we make any decision. If you could, please place your vote in the poll below and feel free to post any additional comments. Thanks for reading.

UPDATE – 9/20/11 1:00pm EST

Wow, thanks so much for the comments so far! It really means alot to me that you have all taken the time to let me know how you feel, even if you may not agree with the idea of a reprint. I just wanted to take a moment to address some things that came up in these comments, and share what I’m thinking at them moment.

1. In regards to any comment asking why we wouldn’t be donating to a specific person, the main reason is so we can donate through proper channels. Giving money to specific individuals causes some issues with taxes. Not only does the person who receives the money have to pay taxes on it, but would as well since the person isn’t set up as a charity. Donating to a charity is a way to do it on a more “official” way, especially if we plan to do this on a yearly, or more regular basis. However, I do want to make sure whatever charities we choose will be the best in terms of how they use their money. Stiney brought up a great point about this, and I will be researching other charities as well.

2. I’ll be honest, the thought of doing another design wasn’t even a consideration when we first began thinking about this. However, I love the idea and I think it would be best if we do this on an ongoing basis. That way it allows us to keep giving money, but keeps the shirts limited.

3. However, I’m also leaning toward doing a reprint for this year only – but altering the design and color shirt. I am very conscious of the fact that limited means just that. And while the only reason I’m even considering a reprint is to help raise more money, I still would like to change it up a bit from the original so that they are the same design, but clearly different. But I do stress that this would be for this year only, and next year we would offer a completely new design.

4. I will also be talking to Leisha about this and get her opinion on these ideas. I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, keep the comments flowing!

Thanks!

-Ben

UNFORTUNATELY THE POLL ISNT WORKING PROPERLY
Please put “YES” or “NO” in the comments section. Thanks!

“If dreams are like movies, then memories are films about ghosts.”
- Adam Duritz “Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby”

This morning I did what I try to do at least 2-3 times a week. After dropping my two kids off at my parents house, I go home and before I start my day, I jump on my bike for a 12 mile ride to the beach. The trail I use takes me behind the neighborhood where my wife grew up, over the creek I used to fish in, and even by the old mom and pop video store where I used to rent all my horror films as a kid. In many ways, the trail is a trip through my life as I’ve lived in this town since I was six years old.

And like every bike trip I take, I put on my iPod and listen to something the entire time. Usually it’s a book . I love to read, and I always have at least two books going at all times…an audiobook to listen to while working out or in the car, and a regular book I like to curl up with at night or any other time I have a chance. This morning however, I opted for music as I really wanted a decent workout and music usually gets me going for a good ride. So, I hit my “top rated” playlist and put it on shuffle. This is a collection of all the songs I’ve rated 4 or 5 stars in iTunes over the years. But as I got going I started to realize something. With each new song that
came on, I was instantly transported in time. Here is just a sample of what I heard…and where each song took me.

“Red Barchetta” by Rush
I am 4 years old listening to Moving Pictures in my older brothers’ room at my old house in the city.

“Dream Warriors” by Dokken
I’m 8 years old watching Nightmare on Elm Street 3 on laserdisc at my friend’s house in the middle of the night.

“Whale and the Wasp” by Alice In Chains
I’m at a friend’s graduation party, swimming at the beach with the girl of my dreams, who I thought was out of my league but would later become my wife.

“Red Hill Mining Town” by U2
I’m in the middle of endless corn fields in the southern tier where I spent an entire summer gathering soil samples for an agricultural consulting firm.

“I’ve Been High” by REM
I’m hiking in the German Alps by myself with no map, and no one around for miles.

“The Best Of You” by Foo Fighters
It’s 2005 and  I’m out for a run at dawn, dreaming about what it would be like to quit my job and do Fright-Rags for a living.

And so on and so forth…as each song came on, another memory came with it. It was then that I realized, if my life is like a movie, then this is my soundtrack. Each song captures a moment in time, and strung together, they make up a story of my life.

I know I’m not alone in thinking this. We’ve all got songs that conjure memories of our life…so what’s your soundtrack?

What a weekend… Our limited F13 shirts were a massive success…almost too massive. Many of you were online as soon as the sale began at midnight – so many in fact that our server almost crashed (and we have a dedicated server with unlimited bandwidth!). However, I also know that many people awoke on Friday morning eagerly visiting the site to order their shirt and totally bummed that we had sold out of their size. And while we ended up selling all but a few shirts, we received plenty of emails and Facebook posts from not-so-happy people about not being able to get their shirt.

If there is one thing I don’t like, it’s making customers upset. However, the given nature of “limited editions” means that, unfortunately, someone is going to be left out. Heck, we still get emails from people who missed out on our Nightmare on Elm street box set last year…enough that we could probably do it again and sell a ton of them.

But for as much as I want to make people happy, I firmly believe that integrity comes first. And for every person that missed out, there are five people who were ready to order at the stroke of midnight. And reprinting shirts for those who couldn’t order, or found out too late, dilutes the experience for those who ordered right away. If we kept reprinting, well, then it wouldn’t be limited.

A CASE FOR PRINTING SHIRTS FIRST
One reason I like having limited edition sales like this is so we can ship orders right away. Having them in stock already allows us to fill orders as they come in, and while it may take a day or two longer (due to high volume of orders), we can still get orders out in a timely manner and make customers happy. And I think that in some cases it works out just fine. For instance, our Monster Mash shirt was limited, as was Never Sleep Again, and a few others. In fact, most of our shirts will end up being limited at some point as we move to releasing more designs and not reprinting old ones nearly as much as we used to. But, the problem with doing ultra-exclusive private sales like this past weekend is that we have a higher risk of running out of shirts because it’s such a limited time. We even printed more than twice our normal print run for each of the F13 shirts and still ran out in hours…

Perhaps though, there is a way to compromise?

HOW ABOUT PRE-ORDER?
In the past we’ve put out our limited editions on a pre-order basis whereby we release the shirt for a limited time (just a day or two), but only print shirts once the sale is over. That way everyone gets a chance to get in on the sale, just as long as you order within the limited time frame. However, the downside is the wait time as we wouldn’t be able to ship shirts for 3-4 weeks after the sale. I’m willing to keep doing this for these special limited editions, as I feel it allows people a better chance at getting what they want (as long as they do it in time). But are you ok with waiting?

Regardless of how we do it, both ways allow us to produce limited edition t-shirts for a very small group of hardcore fans. And that is something we plan on doing alot more of in the near future.

So, what do you think? Vote below and feel free to post a comment as well!

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Last September, I learned that one of my good friends from high school was battling breast cancer. Not only that, but her husband had been out of work for over a year and she was only able to even see a doctor after it had begun to spread. She has been able to get treatment, but it will be many more months before she can stop chemotherapy. In the meantime, her husband is still out of work and they are struggling to keep their home and take care of their two small children.

When I learned about this, I wanted to help in any way I could…and thought of a way to use Fright-Rags to help raise awareness for Breast Cancer and help Leisha with her financial situation.

So, we came up with an idea to design and produce a t-shirt to sell and donate 100% of the profit to Leisha and her family. On October 6, 2010, “We Belong Alive” was released:

The result was nothing short of astonishing. The comments, emails, and support that flooded in were amazing, and we sold out of our first print run in just a few hours. We took test orders for a second run and in less than two weeks we had raised $7,000 for Leisha. To see how this story touched so many others was unreal. So many people had known someone who had either lost their life to this terrible disease, or even was a survivor themselves.

In the months that followed, I kept in touch with Leisha to see how she was doing. But chemo treatments cause fatigue, and now she started receiving radiation treatments as well. And while her struggle continues, her spirits are high and we all have faith that she, too, will beat this.

When I presented her the check, she was a bit taken aback by how much we had raised. It was clear that we had made a difference and for that I am prouder than words can express. She couldn’t thank me enough and she wanted so badly to express her thanks and gratitude to everyone for their kind words and support.

Just the other day she sent me an update on her condition, and along with it a note. She asked that I pass it along to you, so here it is below:

Thank you SO much to Ben and his Fright-Rags team, and to all of you who have supported my family with the purchase of one of Fright-Rags’s AMAZING breast cancer t-shirts.  Ben has spoken of the horror film community as a family–and I can clearly see that this is so.  Thank you all for your support & generosity as I continue to fight this terrible disease.  Though it sometimes makes me feel like I’m in a horror film of sorts, I often (every single day) find myself feeling grateful for the wonderful people I have in my life (like Ben and all of you) who are rallying around me (and my family).  Thank you so much for your support…  Leisha  xoxoxo

And let me say thank you again for all of your support and generosity. The response to all of this proved to me just  how small this world can be…and how tight-knit we are as a horror community. And I am honored to be a part of it.

- Ben

One of my wife’s hobbies is genealogy and she has spent the past 10 years or so researching my family line as well as her own. Since then she has found out some connections to relatives of mine who came over on the Mayflower, fought in the American Revolutionary War, and even traces to the “American Father of Wicker”, Cyrus Wakefield.

A short while ago, her research led her to pick up a book in a series called “Images of America” that showcases vintage images of various times, places, and events in history. This particular book was called, “Grafton, Berlin, and Petersburgh” and showed life in rural Upstate NY during the late 1800s. She had found out that my family was in the book, so she decided to check it out.

Sure enough, while looking through the images in the book, we found a picture of the “Scriven shirt factory”. Apparently, my Great Great Uncle was in the shirt business. Upon further research, we found out that they owned a factory that made shirts, as well as many other types of undergarments. Here is that very page (click to enlarge):

The Scriven Shirt Factory - Click to enlarge

As you may know, my actual last name is “Scrivens”. My grandfather added the “s” at end of the name shortly after my father was born. In fact, he even had his birth certificate changed to add the “s”. So, any relatives of mine born prior to my dad are actually “Scriven”, which is why it reads that way in the book. Weird, I know…but that’s my family for you.

Anyway, I have to admit that it’s interesting to see that my family has some history in the shirt business. Sure, it was a completely different industry back then, but it does make me wonder if there is something floating around in my DNA that pointed me in this direction…

Do you have any interesting family history stories? Post them below…I’d love to hear them!

Ten years ago today, I boarded a plane headed for a small town in Germany called Dessau. I was one of two students chosen to study at the world-renowned Bauhaus School of Design that summer of 2001. And while I had done my fair share of traveling, I had never been on a plane before, and I had never traveled alone. But there I was, saying goodbye to my family, friends, and girlfriend and flying 5000 miles East to my new home for the next four months.

And I was scared to death.

As the plane took off, I kept thinking as though I made the wrong decision. After all, this wasn’t something I would normally do back then. And while a very large part of me that wanted so badly to turn around and go home, a little voice just told me that this was exactly what I needed to do. And it was right.

That summer was filled with experiences I will not soon forget, even now. And I embraced all of them with open arms. I drove a BMW on the Autobahn for over four hours at a speed of 128 mph. I spent a weekend sleeping on the sandy beaches of the Baltic Sea. I traveled to Bavaria and walked on trails through the Alps. I would travel to cities and walk around without a map, just to see where the streets would take me.

In the end, it wasn’t really about the school at all. Sure, I went to my classes and I ended up coming home with a 4.0 that semester. But all of that was secondary to the experiences I had while living there. Those are what I remember – and cherish – the most. That summer broke me from my mold, and helped shape who I am today. It gave me the knowledge and confidence in myself that has allowed me to go on and do many things in my life, including starting and running my own business.

If I had held back and decided not to go,I doubt that I would be where I am today.

So what is holding you back? What is that one thing you want to do, but can’t because it scares you to try?

Think of something…then go do it.